Empty Bliss
by Paradise-08
Summary: She choked best she could, his hand tightening around her throat making her eyes water with pain. His sharingan spun on its own violation. “You think you know me so well? Let me show you my world, Sa-ku-ra.” His voice was deeper, husky with rage.
1. Field Of FireFlies

**Empty Bliss**

**Summary: **Her hand clenched over her heart, her other arm holding her up, her palm flat on the wooden floor. "What you saw…you do not repeat. If you do, I will** kill** you." His whisper was deafening to her ears, as if he had shouted. The resounding anger in his voice made her flinch. ItachixSakura

_This story is dedicated to a few very important people to me. Manon-chan, Sakura-chan, Mel-chan and Lie-chan! 3 Lots of love!_

**Notes: **Thanks to Manon-chan for helping me with ideas! I am currently making a soundtrack for this story…it will probably be out in a while! XD If anyone wants to get in contact with me, or would like to talk to me, my MSN is that is also my email.

**IMPORTANT! I wrote the first four chapters like a year ago, and I'm a bit stuck half way through the fourth chapter…so hopefully, I will find some ideas!!**

**Warnings: **Bad language, fighting.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything if I did I would have Itachi and Sakura together in the anime…with a bit of Sasuke! ;D

_Thoughts in italics_

"Speech"

_Like the fading moon, _

_Ruining the darkness, _

_That paleness of my lips. _

_Of what do I sing?_

_Of what do I sing?_

_You are my setting sun._

**Kagen no Tsuki v01**

**Chapter One**

_**Field of Fireflies. **_

Sakura excused herself quickly and politely from the Godaime and chairmen. She needed to think alone, without interruptions or noise. Of course, she did love the festival they held every year…but thoughts had been plaguing her a lot lately.

Ever since Sasuke left for power, she had the same nightmare. Orochimaru dead, Sasuke dead…and Uchiha Itachi always stood above both of them.

It always shook her up.

Shaking her head of those thoughts, she gracefully walked in the wooden sandals she was wearing. Tsunade had demanded she wore the best kimono around. It was pure silk, pink, the colour of her hair with little flowers all over it. The jade clips keeping her hair up brought out the green in her eyes, too.

By the time she slowed down her pace, she was in what they called, the firefly field. There were always so many fireflies around there, it was truly beautiful. She smiled, breathing in the fresh air; all she could hear from the festival was the drums being played.

She moved along elegantly with the beat of the drums, moving around as if she was made to dance. Her mother had been a geisha, and had taught her a lot of their ways when she was a child. She was so entranced by the music and her dancing; she didn't notice someone watching her, or the sudden mist that had swirled around her.

Yes, she was definitely a beauty. Even he admired her grace and elegance. Her beauty radiated off of her as she danced the dance of what they called, the Eternal Winter. It was a truly magnificent piece about love, betrayal and despair. She danced it beautifully, as if she herself was feeling the emotions.

As the drum beat softly faded away, she finished with a slow twirl, suddenly feeling very tired. She opened her eyes slightly, confusion clouding her mind. In front of her stood a man with long, inky black hair, and red eyes. She gasped, and just as she was about to fall to the floor, he caught her.

"Sas…uke-kun…?"

Worried eyes searched the crowd for a head of pink hair, but she found nothing. Sighing, she gulped down some more of her sake. Sakura had been gone for longer than she would normally be. The chairmen were probably starting to think her apprentice was quite rude.

"Don't worry too much about Sakura. A lot has been plaguing her mind lately; she'll come back when she's ready. She always does." A familiar, reassuring voice whispered next to her. His one eye curved up, showing he was smiling. Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, "Let's hope you're right, Kakashi."

"She can look after herself; she's a strong girl, thanks to you." He murmured lowly, taking out his dirty book. She smiled freely, then. "Yeah, she is a very determined, strong willed girl. I'm sure she will pass the jounin exams with flying colours." She stated proudly. "I'm sure." He answered and with a nod of his head, he had vanished within a puff of smoke.

Sakura awoke, dimly aware that she was in what looked like, a very nice bedroom. Not very familiar with her, though. "What the fuck?" She mumbled croakily, looking up sharply as she heard a door being opened.

Uchiha Itachi walked through, staring at her with passionless eyes. "Good evening, Sakura-san." He said politely. "You're in Akatsuki headquarters, and as you can see, a bedroom…my bedroom, to be precise." He commented, looking around, poker faced. "Why did you bring me here?" She asked, trying to hold back her anger and confusion.

He stared at her, his eyes piercing. They made her want to flinch and look away, but she kept strong, staring right back at him. "I do not think you are in any position to be asking questions." His tone had turned from polite to the 'don't ask questions unless you wanna die!' tone. She gulped best she could with a dry mouth and throat, and looked away, bottom lip jutting out slightly.

"Kisame will probably be down to see you at some point during today, and I warn you, you shouldn't bad mouth him. He has already drained you of your chakra, you have little left. I must say, you had quite a bit, I even had to put a chakra container on you." He murmured blankly, before turning around and walking out.

"What a prick." She said to herself, scowling. But, even though she had a temper to rival Tsunade's, she also was very intelligent. She would have to tread carefully.

_Especially _when dealing with a pack of insane S-class criminals!

She didn't know how much time had passed since her visit from Itachi, but it had been enough time for the sun to go down and for her to count how many scrolls he had on the table near her. And then she heard someone walking outside the bedroom. A girl, probably around the age of 9 peeped around the corner and smiled warmly at her.

"Hi!" She said, coming over to the bed. "My names Hanako, what's your name?" Hanako asked sweetly. "Haruno Sakura." Sakura managed to say. Quite baffled at the fact that this cute little girl was in Akatsuki, she was rather friendly!

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Haruno-san! Please, follow me! I have been instructed to get you something to eat and a nice bath!" She stated cheerily, walking ahead of Sakura. "Please, call me Sakura." She smiled, walking slowly, cautiously.

"Oh and…um I know you probably know this already, but the bracelet you're wearing, it depletes your chakra so you can't fight; you'll also get tired easily as that is the highest voltage one. Once Itachi-kun can trust you enough, he'll give you a lower one so that at least you don't get so tired so easily!" she took in a big breath of air, before she turned blue from lack of oxygen.

Sakura giggled softly, liking the little girl already. "Yeah, I kind of guessed. But thanks," She answered politely. They walked down many candlelit corridors before they came to their destination. "First stop, kitchen!" Hanako skipped into the room, followed by Sakura. It was quite a large room. Big enough for a table of 10 to fit in, as well as your normal kitchen attire.

Sakura sat down, and waited to see what Hanako brought her. She didn't have to wait long though, the girl came over quickly with a plate of sushi and miso soup; followed by a large glass of water. Sakura gulped it down in record timing, forgetting her manners for a minute. When she had finished, she looked at Hanako in question. "Oh my, you can eat quicker than Deidara-kun!" She laughed nervously, before beckoning Sakura out. "Quickly now, we must hurry. Itachi-kun wants you ready for tonight!"

"What is going on tonight?" Sakura questioned. Hanako's smile never failed as she ignored Sakura's question. That slightly annoyed Sakura, what had she done to be here anyway? Soon enough, her thoughts turned to the sound of water running. She was dieing for a bath, she absolutely stunk. Even if she had only been there for…oh, she didn't even know how long she had been there! She had only woken up that day, and Itachi didn't tell her how long she had been knocked out for.

On top of it all, she hadn't been able to get in any of the other rooms, so she was stuck in his bedroom all day! "Well here you are! I'll be waiting outside for you!" Hanako ushered her inside before closing the door. Sakura looked at the large bath tub, and then to the beautiful dark blue kimono that hung by the towels. She had to gasp at the beauty of it. It looked so smooth and so soft…yet so simple.

Quickly taking her clothes off, she got in the bath and sighed in contempt, letting her whole body go under the water. Once she was done and dressed, she opened the door to little Hanako, who stared in amazement at her. "You look…beautiful." She breathed. Sakura blushed, muttering a small "thank you".

They started to walk down the corridor again, at a quicker pace this time. Hanako didn't want Sakura to be late. Hanako stopped in front of a large door; she knocked twice and then moved out of the way to let Sakura go in. "Enter," a dark voice came from in the room. Sakura opened the door slowly, looking around. It was the bedroom she had sat in for the past day.

He was sitting at a small table, looking at scrolls. He beckoned her over, looking at her with no emotion. She sat down across from him, looking around; she laid her hands in her lap gently. "You look better now, Sakura-san." He commented, with a smirk. "Thank you, Uchiha-san." She answered, trying to hold back from telling him to go fuck himself.

"Would you please tell me why I am here now?" She asked, as polite as she could. She didn't want to die so young. He looked back down at the scrolls he was studying, not answering her. Sakura held back her aggravated sigh, instead, she watched him silently. Finally he looked at her. "You are second best medic-nin to Tsunade, correct?" At her hesitant nod, he continued.

"You see, Akatsuki has been having…problems, lately. For the past couple of years we have always gone to a local medic-nin in the nearest village if we have been injured. But these days, it is hard to find a medic-nin that doesn't seem suspicious or asks questions. That's why we have decided to find our own medic-nin. And of course, it cannot be any medic-nin. It has to be one of the best, our injuries aren't exactly minor." He explained slowly, long, elegant fingers linking together as he sat forward, intensely staring into Sakura's eyes.

"…You want me to be Akatsuki's personal medic-nin, basically?" She asked dryly. With his nod, Sakura laughed. "For one, why would I do that so willingly? Two, what could you possibly offer me, in return of betraying my friends and family; my village?" She said, venom showing in her voice. "Hn, I will give Konoha Orochimaru's whereabouts. They can get Sasuke back…and kill Orochimaru. It's been going around Orochimaru and Konoha are having a secret war. I'm correct, ne?"

At her silence he nodded his head. "Yes, and Orochimaru is confident that Konoha does not know where his hideout is. And, because Akatsuki still has some ties with him, we know where he is. So what will you choose, Sakura? Will you be selfish, and tell me no, let Sasuke stay there just to die a very painful death? You go back to Konoha and get on with your life, no Sasuke. No, I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself. I think you will choose to stay here. Imagine how happy the people of Konoha will be to have Sasuke back, the genius?" He chuckled.

_What a fucking manipulator!_

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips. He knew her well for someone he had only just met. "I take it you will stay here then? Excellent. But for the time being, I will keep you under watch and you will be staying in my room until I know you are trustworthy. You would still be in that cell if Hanako hadn't persuaded me. But, if you ever do try to betray us or runaway, make no mistake…Konoha will pay for your mistakes, and so will Sasuke." He murmured dangerously, the flickering candle light making shadows dance across his face.

She nodded her head slowly, looking away. _What have I gotten myself into? But…at least Sasuke-kun will be safe…I'll get away one day and see him again._

Itachi slowly got up and walked towards his window, staring out of it with lifeless eyes. "My brother really is a fool. He has ignored you and your love all these years, and yet, you are still trying to protect and help him. Hn, maybe you are the fool." He looked at her then, tilting his head slightly to the side, his bangs covering one of his eyes.

Her breath caught. No matter what happened, he truly was a magnificent being. The dangerous aura he had about him, elegance that no one could compare to…and the beauty you only dreamed of.

Already, she was quite tired, and Itachi could see that. "There are some pajamas for you in my bathroom put them on and you can get in my bed." He waved towards the door to her left.

"It has been confirmed that my apprentice, Haruno Sakura is missing. Now, I want your team, Naruto-kun to go out and bring her home!" Tsunade's fist slammed into her desk. She gritted her teeth, eyes showing concern.

"Yes Tsunade baa-chan! I will bring back Sakura-chan within no time!" Naruto confirmed, disappearing. He had to go pick up his ANBU team and then he would be off.

_I'm coming to get you, Sakura-chan!_

Back in Tsunade's office, the Godaime herself was rubbing her temples, trying to get rid of her migraine. She was terribly worried about Sakura. Over the past years she had become like a daughter to her…

"Where are we going, Itachi-san?" She asked curiously, walking beside him. She hadn't been at this part of Akatsuki hideout before. "We're going to the main dining room, where all the Akatsuki go to eat."

_Great, I'm gonna be surrounded by a load of fucking loony bins watching me eat!_

Once they got to the dining room, Sakura was quite surprised to see a blond who looked a lot like Ino, a couple of weird looking ones and…yeah. They all turned to look at her, the room suddenly quiet. "What? Never seen a woman before?" She snapped before she could stop herself.

"Well, never one as radiant and beautiful as you." One man came to her and took hr dainty hand into his own, kissing it softly.

_Ohh, a charmer!_

"Kakuzu," Itachi said with warning. Kakuzu let her hand go immediately, walking back to his chair.

"I see; yours?" Kakuzu smirked at Sakura's horrified look and the slight movement of Itachi's lip. "Now now, stop this nonsense Kakuzu! Come, sit down and eat, un." The blond said, smiling. "I'm Deidara, un!" He stated enthusiastically shaking Sakura's hand quickly. She smiled back, sitting down between Deidara and Itachi.

"Haruno Sakura." She introduced herself slowly. Deidara's eyes lit up with recognition. "You're the one who killed Sasori, un." He murmured. Everyone paused, looking at Deidara and Sakura. Sakura nodded nervously. "You were his partner, right?" She said softly. "Yes, Sasori-danna and I got on well, un." He said with a small, sad smile. "But, alas…it happens, un! You're going to be part of Akatsuki soon anyway."

Soon, Sakura had spoken to all of the Akatsuki, but Itachi had stayed silent. She started to laugh and make jokes with Deidara, and sometimes even Kisame, though she could tell he didn't like her much…yet.

_They aren't all that bad…they're quite funny._

"Are you finished, kunoichi?" Itachi asked impassively. She smiled and nodded, trying not to laugh at Deidara's teasing towards Kisame. He got up and took her out of the room. "I have some things for you to do."

When they got to his room, he gave her some scrolls to look at. "Try and sort them out." Really, he could have done it himself but he wanted to see how could she really was. The scrolls were mostly about genjutsu's, so she should have no problem.

Just then, Sakura heard something that sounded a lot like a meow. She looked over to Itachi to see a very fluffy black cat licking his hand.

…_Itachi has a pet!? Of course it had to be the frickin' animal of the Devil! _

"His name is Taka." He answered her unasked question. He looked out of the window while stroking Taka. The cat quickly got into his master's lap and purred happily. Half an hour later and Sakura was finished with the scrolls. She handed them back to Itachi and looked at him expectantly. He glanced up at her and smirked approvingly. "I'm very impressed, Sakura." He complimented her, neatly putting the scrolls away.

"I can see now, why Leader would want you in Akatsuki."

"Thank you," She smiled at him excitedly. She didn't think Itachi would ever compliment her like that! Maybe he wasn't so bad…sometimes. "Now, here is the true test." He stated, touching her shoulder he made them both disappear and reappear in the forest next to the HQ. Sakura looked at him with confusion, "What?" She muttered, shivering slightly. She didn't have the right clothes on for this! A silly tank top and long shorts, it was pretty damn windy too!

Itachi stood in front of her, his smirk fading. His eyes turned from onyx to crimson red right before her own, scared eyes.

…_No!_

She squeezed her eyes shut, and then she felt it. He had moved behind her, his hot breath fanning over the side of her neck. The hairs at the back of her head were standing on end when his soft lips brushed her earlobe.

"Run," He whispered darkly. And she did just that. She ran for her life. She ran so fast every time she nearly went into a tree, she barely dodged it, some of the branches nipping her sides, scraping off her clothing and cutting into her skin.

She was so confused, why did he tell her to run? She thought Akatsuki had wanted her to work for them!?

"What the FUCK is going on!?" She yelled to herself, dashing through some bushes quickly.

_1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10_

_Here I come, kunoichi!_

**AN:** Yeah….um cliffhanger? Haha yeah well…I hope you liked it! XD I'm trying my hardest on this…and I want to make sure I update this…but yeah, I'm not really reliable blush Reviews ALWAYS make my days…I can't write without reviews!


	2. The Dance Of Night

Empty Bliss

**Empty Bliss**

**Summary: **Her hand clenched over her heart, her other arm holding her up, her palm flat on the wooden floor. "What you saw…you do not repeat. If you do, I will kill you." His whisper was deafening to her ears, as if he had shouted. The resounding anger in his voice made her flinch. ItachixSakura

**Notes: **Hey all! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy this chapter! nervous I'm hoping I've got some fans ;;

Funny how a lot of people put the story on alert but do not review, is it really that hard? XD Ah well…its something I suppose.

**Warnings: **Bad language, fighting.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything if I did I would have Itachi and Sakura together in the anime…with a bit of Sasuke! ;D

**--**

_Thoughts in italics_

"Speech"

**--**

**Chapter two**

_**The dance of Night.**_

It was like a dance, every time Itachi got close enough to Sakura, she would dart away again, both so graceful in the way they moved. She teased, while he possessed, she ran while he chased. It was like a game of cat and mouse.

Sakura was starting to enjoy the dance of the night; she hadn't been able to let go since she got there. She didn't know how she was doing it, though. Perhaps Itachi had lowered the voltage down on her little device…just enough for her to move around, perhaps?

She knew already he had put a shield up around a certain part of this forest. So she had only a little ground she could cover, but she supposed that was just to make sure she didn't escape.

Then suddenly, an arm had circled her waist, pulling her against a hard chest. She panted from all the exercise, flinching in pain when his hand brushed one of her wounds.

"Got you kunoichi," Itachi murmured lowly in her ear. He was disappointed; she wasn't as good as he was beginning to think she may be.

"Hm, I don't think so Itachi! Let's see how much power you have given me back!" She said, and with a grin she sent chakra to her foot; she pulled her leg back quickly and then stomped the ground with all the force she had.

It worked, Itachi dashed away quickly, hidden by the trees. _That was too close; I didn't know she had that type of strength._

Sakura smirked in triumph at the huge crater she had made in the earth, she quickly darted the opposite direction Itachi had gone.

She was started to get exhausted, though. She had been running for what seemed hours, and using her chakra recklessly like that was very dangerous, especially when she didn't have her right equipment on to do it.

"I'm quite impressed, once again. You have potential, though you are Tsunade's apprentice and she has taught you a lot of useful things, you still lack in speed. Your attacks are full of power, but what if your opponent is as quick as lightning? You wouldn't get a chance to use your attacks, would you? Hn, I'm guessing you would use genjutsu instead, that is your main field, isn't it?" Itachi's voice was coming from somewhere near her, but she just didn't know where!

"It depends, who the opponent is." Sakura said matter-of-factly while scanning the trees around her, looking for Itachi.

"What if your opponent was Sasuke?" His voice came from right behind her this time, and she quickly spun around.

He was gone, she gasped in shock and pain as she felt a sharp kick to her ribs. She vanished in a puff of smoke, going high up in the trees, looking down at Itachi as he smirked, and closed his eyes.

"I wouldn't fight Sasuke so there is no point in thinking of what I'd do." She snapped, rubbing her side. She couldn't heal it or any of her wounds though, he couldn't feel her chakra!

"That is your weakness. I could draw from that, anyone could. It would devastate you to see Sasuke killed or in pain…and it is so easy to start a genjutsu with that." He tsked her, "A shinobi must have no weaknesses."

She growled loudly, hating those words that had been said to her over and over. "Fuck you, Itachi!" She screamed, jumping down towards him, aiming a kick to his skull, planning to break it. He dodged easily, seeing her attacks as if she were a genin.

"Too slow." He said quietly, watching and anticipating her moves as she lashed out in anger. He grabbed her leg as she tried kicking his mid-section; he caressed her soft skin, noticing the outrage on her face. He chuckled and flipped her over his back, sitting on her abdomen, holding her hands above her head.

"You see? You have two main weaknesses. Sasuke and you hate being called weak." He stared down at her as she struggled against his grip.

"Get off of me!"

"No, I quite like sitting here."

"Get. Off. Of. Me!"

"Shhh kunoichi, sleep." He whispered the last part, staring into her eyes with his sharingan. He sent her to sleep quickly and silently.

--

Sakura awoke the next day with a very big migraine. She groaned heavily and looked around. She was on her own in Itachi's bedroom, she noticed her wounds had been bandaged and she had a new set of clothing on.

_If that stupid criminal took off my clothes…_

"Don't look so worried kunoichi. Its nothing I haven't seen before, if not better." She jumped, and then glared at him menacingly.

"Bastard," She said defensively. She knew she didn't have the best body or best looks. She got over herself as soon as she turned 16. No one had ever wanted her, except Lee and Naruto. She didn't have the best curves or the best boobs, or the best looks. But she didn't think she was exactly _plain._

Everyone always told her she could be Tsunade's daughter because of their boobs…yeah they were kinda big but she didn't like them. "Stop thinking about your looks, silly kunoichi." He said with amusement. While she had been thinking, she had automatically touched her body, feeling if it was okay. She hmphed at him and turned over, not looking his way.

"How childish," He criticized her. She was worse than Hanako, and what a terrible temper she had! "For the next week I'm going to be training you, before we go on a mission. Leader has deemed you trustworthy, for the time being. But if you don't behave, you will be dead. Just think of Konoha and Sasuke."

"I already know that!" She said back, turning to look at him with a sneer. Before she knew it, he had her neck in his large hand.

"Just remember your place kunoichi. I don't want to have to hurt you." He whispered darkly in her ear.

Sakura turned her face away from him, fear freezing her body. She had let her tongue slip, _again._

_I've been around Tsunade-sama too much!_

He let her go, before swiftly leaving the room.

--

**One week later.**

Sakura looked at the uniform Itachi had given her with thought. The skirt was kind of short, but the sorts made up for that, she supposed. Shrugging she put the normal Akatsuki cloak on over it.

Coming out of the bathroom she glanced at Itachi. "So…where are we going?" She asked anxiously.

"We're going to Orochimaru's hideout, to get Sasuke and take him to Konoha. But remember, if you break your word kunoichi…" He trailed off, eyes glinting.

She nodded her head quickly. "I know." She mumbled hastily, following as Itachi walked out of his room, pursued by Kisame. She had met him a couple of days ago. Yep, Sakura and Kisame didn't get on well.

"Itachi, why are you bargaining with the girl? We should just _make _her become a medic-nin for us!" Kisame moaned, not wanting to go to the snake's lair.

"I'm a _medic-nin _Kisame, which means that if I heal someone, I can also kill them very easily. Don't underestimate me." She growled, eyes flashing dangerously. She looked away with a huff, noticing Itachi's lips twitch in amusement.

Over the past week, she had studied the way he reacted to things. If you watched closely you would notice little things, like a tiny crease in his brow when he was thinking, or a twitch in his right eye, which meant get the fuck away…

It scared her, how much Itachi and Sasuke really were alike. She heard Kisame grumble loudly, one shiny, sharp tooth sticking out from his blue lips.

_Sasuke…_

She was happy that she was doing this for Sasuke…she would do anything for him. Sad, it seemed he never knew how much she truly loved him.

Loves him.

Perhaps he did, but he ignored it…because of the path he had chosen for himself; the path that had been chosen _for_ him.

"What are you thinking so deeply about that you actually aren't talking?" Kisame's snide voice came from her left.

She just glared at him, huffing before looking away. "Bastard," She muttered.

"Kami, for a woman you love to swear!" Kisame growled at her, moving so he was on Itachi's side. He couldn't stand the pink headed little shit!

When they stopped to rest for the night, and Kisame had gone to look for some logs, Itachi sat Sakura down and stared at her.

"When we get to Orochimaru's…I do not want you to show you have any feelings for Sasuke, you are a part of Akatsuki now you must have no attachments." He stated softly.

Sakura glared at him, "You're telling me to pretend I have no emotions at all? I have a lot of attachments, Itachi. I was brought up to show how I felt, to follow my heart. I will not turn my back on that side of me." She stubbornly rebutted.

Itachi smirked. "Hn, then try not to act so…in love with Sasuke in front of Orochimaru, or Kabuto for that matter." He murmured, turning his head to look deep into the orange and blue flames of the fire.

Just then, Kisame came back and a silence descended upon the three. Sakura had never thought the first time in 4 years that she would see Sasuke…but as a part of Akatsuki? Sasuke would probably see that as betrayal on his part…but he had betrayed her and Konoha! He probably didn't care about what she did anyway.

"You're quite lucky the first time Orochimaru tried taking over Sasuke's body there was a fault in the procedure and he had to take over someone else's body." Itachi commented 10 minutes later.

Sakura snorted but said nothing. She turned on her side and tried to get some sleep, the flames of the fire keeping half of her warm.

--

Kiba sniffed around in the air, catching a waft of Sakura's scent. "She was definitely here last night. But her scent is near faded; they must have left early this morning." He sniffed around some more, before smirking.

"This way!" He yelled to his comrades. Naruto, Neji, Ino, Hinata and Lee all made their way behind Kiba.

"I hope we get to her before anything bad happens to her." Lee said worry etched into his words and face.

"I'm sure she's fine! Forehead girl can look after herself, she has grown up." Ino said, confident in her words.

Neji agreed with the blondette, along with Hinata. "S-so you think A-Akatsuki took her?" The timid, stuttering girl asked.

Naruto nodded his head vigorously. "An onlooker said they had seen an Akatsuki member around the area Sakura had gone to."

A heavy silence filled the air. Everyone knew how much Sakura meant to the blond. Once Sasuke had gone off, all he had left was Kakashi and Sakura for comfort. And now she had disappeared…

--

"ANBU are getting closer to us. If we don't hurry up, we might have to fight them. The Kyuubi vessel is with them." Kisame explained slowly to Itachi and Sakura.

Sakura gave Itachi a pleading look, "Please don't fight them," she begged; gripping the sleeve of his Akatsuki cloak.

Itachi stared at her, before answering. "We can't waste time on your friends."

Sakura rolled her eyes but was grateful, before they set off on a much quicker pace. "You might have to give me a bit more chakra if you want me to keep up this pace for the day," She said to Itachi.

She saw him nod and felt a zing of power go through her; she smiled again before turning to look at what was in front of her.

They moved through the forest like that right through the day and night. By then Sakura was pretty worn out. Itachi didn't look tired, that or he really could hide his emotions that well; Kisame on the other hand seemed rather worn out, complaining he was hungry. They stopped and Sakura slumped down against a large tree.

"I'm sure they won't catch up to us for some time." Kisame panted, getting out the water he had. He passed it to Itachi, and then Itachi passed it to Sakura.

"We will hit Sound village within the next day." Itachi confirmed, sitting beside Sakura.

"Kisame, gather some more water." He said it quiet enough, polite enough. But that didn't stop Kisame from giving him a short, sharp glare before walking of. Itachi turned to Sakura, she looked exhausted. She glanced at him, and felt nervousness flood her system.

There was a long silence between them. Itachi stared at her with red eyes while Sakura looked anywhere but him. She didn't hate him, she knew that. But in her more foolish days, she had thought she did. Solely because of Sasuke and her love for him…she had seen that he wasn't so bad. He was a ninja, and if he was a ninja for Akatsuki, he had to do what he had to do.

One thing that still plagued her thoughts about him was why he killed his entire clan. She had mused over it a couple of nights in Akatsuki HQ when she couldn't sleep. He didn't have any proper reason why he killed them and she was still a little scared to ask him why he did it.

That was personal, private. She had no right to pry into his life, no matter how curious she got. She sighed tiredly. "I'm going to have a small nap." She mumbled, weariness making her fall into a light slumber as soon as she closed her jade eyes.

Two days later and the trio were outside Orochimaru's lair. Itachi went forward, opening one of the hidden doors for guests. Sakura walked behind him, nervous while Kisame was right behind them, yawning in boredom.

Once they got to the main room, they saw Orochimaru sitting in his normal chair. "Itachi-kun, Kisame-kun…and who is this? Haruno Sakura? What a surprise, ne, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru taunted evilly.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat as Sasuke came out of the shadows. He stared at her with indifference, his posture was slack; he did not care about them being here. He seemed at ease.

"Sakura…" It seemed forever since he had said that name; it took some time to get used to it rolling off his tongue.

…_Sasuke-kun!_

AN: Another chapter done. Hmm yeah, another cliffhanger too! Haha yes I'm evilllll! Read and review please, I can't go on without reviews!


	3. This Infection Of Love

Empty Bliss

**Empty Bliss**

**Summary: **Her hand clenched over her heart, her other arm holding her up, her palm flat on the wooden floor. "What you saw…you do not repeat. If you do, I will kill you." His whisper was deafening to her ears, as if he had shouted. The resounding anger in his voice made her flinch. ItachixSakura

**Notes: **Perhaps this chapter was a little rushed? Sorry about that, but I got kinda…Ehm yeah. D: sorry!

**Warnings: **Bad language, fighting.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything if I did I would have Itachi and Sakura together in the anime…with a bit of Sasuke! ;D

**--**

_Thoughts in italics_

"Speech"

**--**

**Chapter three**

_**This Infection of Love**_

Sakura stared at Sasuke, Sasuke stared at Sakura. Sakura was sure the whole room could hear her heart beating fast in her chest, trying to escape and probably jump in Sasuke's arms.

But she didn't let it or her for that matter. She forced herself to look away, she forced back the tears. She looked at Itachi, focusing on tracing the outline of red clouds with her eyes.

Sasuke showed no emotions towards it at all. "What a surprise." He mused, not really caring what she did. He turned his back on them, on her. It hurt more than she thought it would. But she was used to it. She glared at his back, wanting to hurt him if just a little.

But what shocked her was why he wasn't trying to kill Itachi! "Ah, confused? Sasuke has learned patience and how to calm his temper while he has lived here with me." Orochimaru hissed.

Sakura snorted, she never thought Sasuke would ever learn patience when it came to Itachi. "Orochimaru-san, we are here to discuss tactics, not talk about silly little things." Itachi murmured emotionlessly.

Orochimaru nodded his head with a dry chuckle, "Of course, Kabuto." He waved to a large table. "Come and sit." He said, moving towards the table himself. Sasuke sat beside him, while Sakura sat next to Itachi and Kisame next to Sakura.

They ate while speaking, Sakura keeping quiet all the way through. She didn't look at Sasuke once, but she was sure she felt his burning gaze on her all the while they ate. Itachi, Kisame and Orochimaru spoke about plans in grass.

But Sakura wasn't interested in listening; she was here for one thing; Sasuke.

After they ate and had finished talking, Orochimaru showed them to their respectful rooms. Itachi and Sakura were going to stay in the same bedroom as Itachi did not yet trust her, especially in this environment.

Sakura's hands were trembling as she took off her clothes and got on a top and boxers Itachi had given her. She got into the large bed quickly, and hid underneath the covers. When she felt Itachi's weight dip down on the bed she closed her eyes quickly.

She had never shared a bed with a man before, so it was quite disturbing when she felt his weight dip down beside her on the bed. She shook slightly, before telling herself to relax. Itachi wasn't exactly going to _rape _her while she slept!

She lay awake, staring at Itachi as he too stayed awake, staring at the ceiling.

"Itachi…?" She whispered softly, fingers fiddling with their cover. The slight movement of his eyes told her he was listening to what she had to say.

"Do you not feel any love at all for your little brother? He _is _flesh and blood. No matter what I think or what other people say or think…you are still _human_ and you cannot block out the simplest of emotions as that…Even if you tried your hardest. Perhaps, you could mold it into a different emotion, such as Sasuke has…into hate." She murmured, playing with her own lock of silky pinkness.

"Go to sleep, blossom." Was all he said, turning away from her. Sakura rolled her eyes softly, what had she expected?

She listened to his breathing even out, her own slightly erratic. It had been so hard to sit there, in front of Sasuke, and not speak to him. It went against all her morals…but it had to be done.

After an hour of trying to sleep, Sakura decided to go and take a walk in the large grounds they had. She sat beneath a large cherry blossom tree, pulling her knees up to her chest.

She sighed heavily, watching as a few blossom petals blew away with the light wind. "Sasuke-kun, come out." She said gently, feeling his presence even if he was trying to hide it.

Sasuke appeared beside her, looking up at the starry sky. "Why are you _really _here, Sakura?" He asked softly, gracefully moving to sit beside her.

She gave him the smile he had missed over the past couple of years, and when her hand went to touch his face, he didn't move. He sat there, and let her caress him. "Sasuke-kun…" She whispered.

So many emotions in her voice, regret, guilt, love, passion, desire…hurt.

Sakura was one person he hated to hurt. No matter how many times he did it, it still hurt him. He knew she loved him so much, she would die for him. Naruto and Kakashi loved him too, but…not the way Sakura did.

"Sakura…" He trailed off, slightly surprised when she brought her face close to his and softly let her lips caress his own. He was actually letting her! What had happened? He had gotten much colder over the years…but it felt right for her to do it.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I…I just wanted one kiss." She whispered with sorrow. Tears filling her eyes as she turned away from him, letting her tears flow once again for him.

Sasuke went to touch her shoulder, but quickly moved away, as if he was burnt. What was he doing? Baka! She was like an infection!

"Arigato, Sasuke-kun." She whispered, followed by a sob.

Sasuke looked at the back of the sobbing girl. He sighed quietly and closed his own dark eyes. "No…thank you, Sakura. And…I'm sorry." She, at least deserved that. He thought.

It was just like the time when they were twelve.

He disappeared with the breeze, leaving Sakura alone. She quickly wiped her eyes, trying to make the heartache go away. It never did, and it probably never would. But, at least Sasuke still had some love in him.

She slowly made her way back to the room Itachi and her shared. She sniffled one more time before she opened the door to the room, quickly jumping back in bed.

--

"Shit! I've lost track of them." Kiba cursed, patting Akamaru's head. Naruto sighed in frustration, while the rest of them sat down. "I guess we will camp here for the night then, they couldn't have got far." Naruto stated, sitting down himself.

"I'm hungry! Who's cooking tonight?" He asked, grinning. He looked at Ino, and then at Hinata with puppy dog eyes.

"Don't even go there, no way!" Ino said, crossing her arms over her chest. Hinata smiled nervously, "A-Alright. I'll c-cook." She mumbled, blushing furiously when Naruto hugged her in thanks.

Ino moved to sit further away from the group, staring out at the lovely view they had high up. She felt Neji come beside her and wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Neji-kun…I'm…scared for her." She whispered, leaning her head on his muscular chest.

Neji pulled her closer still, "I know. We all are Ino-chan. Can you imagine how Naruto feels? Look at him sitting there, every time he smiles its fake. We need to find her; otherwise it might just be the true end of him." Neji murmured, kissing his girlfriend's cheek.

She nodded her head, sighing in sadness. "I miss our little fights already. But I used to see her every day…its hard."

"We know." A new voice came, startling Ino and Neji, surprisingly. Naruto sat beside them, looking up at the full moon with a sad smile. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme and Kaka-sensei are my everything. I'd die for them, and it hurts so much that I wasn't able to save Sasuke…but now Sakura as well? I have to find her; I have to take her _home."_

He whispered, running a hand through his blond locks.

Ino tried to give him a comforting smile, but couldn't find the energy to do so…instead, the three of them sat in silence, watching the moon together.

--

Over the next week, Itachi, Kisame and Sakura stayed at Orochimaru's. They were waiting for the right moment to take Sasuke. It was hard, though. Orochimaru trusted no one, and Sasuke was nearly always with Orochimaru or Kabuto.

Itachi and Sakura sat in their bedroom, talking about their plans. "I want you to take Sasuke out of the lair, go for a walk, while Kisame and I follow. Once you get further enough, we'll take Sasuke." He stated firmly.

Sakura nodded her head, and then hesitated. "Don't Akatsuki need Orochimaru?" Kisame snorted at her question. "Don't be silly kunoichi; Orochimaru is nobody to Akatsuki!" He chuckled.

Sakura shrugged. "Just asking."

"How do you know if Sasuke will follow me?" She asked, watching Itachi closely.

"I head you speaking to him the first night here. He'll follow, I know my little brother." He said, gathering up his scrolls and tucking them away in his cloak.

"Go now, we have overstayed here." He said flatly. Sakura nodded, put on her cloak before walking out; intending to go to Sasuke's room. She knocked lightly on the door, hearing a grunt she opened, seeing Sasuke laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Sasuke-kun…would you please walk with me? I'd like to talk to you before I leave. I probably will never see you again after this." She said sadly, watching as he stood and stared at her.

"Hn."

She smiled, she had expected that answer. They walked slowly out of the lair, going deep in the forest. They stopped once they got to a nice little river. Sakura turned to Sasuke and shut her eyes.

"You know I will always love you, no matter what happens. That's why I'm doing this for you, Sasuke." She said it so softly and quietly, he had to strain to hear her.

He was confused, do what for him? And then a gasp escaped his lips as he felt something hit the back of his neck.

Darkness took over his vision, and he fell right into Itachi's arms.

Sakura closed her eyes. She was doing this for the good of Konoha, and for Sasuke! It was over quicker than she thought it would be. They traveled in silence, Kisame and Itachi taking turns in holding Sasuke. He didn't wake up all through the journey, not until just before they hit Konoha two days later.

_That must have been some hit Itachi gave him!_

The boy groaned and Sakura quickly handed him some water. Itachi had done a jutsu on him so he couldn't move his body properly.

"Where are you taking me?" He hissed angrily, trying to move but failing terribly. Sakura rolled her eyes at him, sadness shining in her green depths.

"We're taking you back to Konoha." She said quietly, ignoring his selfish shouts. "You should be happy, Sasuke-kun. Everyone has missed you." She stated a distant look in her eyes. Sasuke's own black orbs narrowed at her with suspicion. "Are you not coming back to Konoha with me?" He asked annoyance in his voice.

Sakura sighed, "I gave up the right to go to Konoha when I made this deal with Itachi. He owns me now." She answered albeit grudgingly.

Itachi had to smirk at that; so she knew her place. Good.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed further, if possible. "What do you mean?! Why are you with him, Sakura?" He asked loudly, still trying to struggle against the jutsu.

"I sold myself to him, if you want to put it that way. He made me an offer I could not refuse. He would take you to Konoha, give Tsunade the whereabouts of Orochimaru and I would become Akatsuki's personal medic-nin."

"Know this, Sasuke." She paused, making sure she could actually say the words, and that Sasuke was listening intently. She closed her pain filled eyes and turned her head away. "If you or any other Konoha-nin come to find me, I will not hesitate to hurt you." She mumbled, glad that at least her voice was firm.

Sasuke smirked, "you could never hurt me, you fool!" He said angrily, her words cutting him deeper than any other.

Itachi watched the scene unfold before him, letting Sakura do as she wished. Sakura snorted loudly, turning angry green eyes away from the boy she had just _saved. _

They stayed silent for most of the day, accept for some of Sasuke's sarcastic remarks and Itachi and Kisame's quiet talking.

When night came, Itachi and Kisame kept guard, leaving the two ex Konoha-nin together. Sakura stared at Sasuke from across the fire, stubbornly waiting for him to look at her. She knew he could feel her eyes on him.

He scowled and turned his head towards her, "What?" He asked in a demanding tone, letting his head rest on the tree behind him.

Sakura's eyes softened, "Sasuke-kun. Please tell Naruto that I will miss him dearly, and I'm very sorry. Tell Tsunade-sama I thank her for everything she has done for me…and, please tell Kaka-sensei that I will miss him and his stupid perverseness." She whispered, laughing quietly afterward; burrowing her head in her knees.

Sasuke stared at her, eyes hard. Though, there was a very small soft spot in his eyes. It had always been for Sakura.

"I will," He answered quietly, closing his eyes.

Sakura smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

--

As soon as Itachi gave Sakura a curt nod of his head, she quickly disappeared and reappeared by the Konoha gates, she left an unconscious Sasuke and a note within his robes.

The guard noticed her and shouted at her to stop; she quickly disappeared though, with one last look to Sasuke.

She made it back to Kisame and Itachi, and they quickly took off. Planning to return to HQ now that scenario was over.

Sakura looked back, watching her home fade away from her site.

_I'll be back, I know I will. Just wait for me! _

That had been very dangerous what they had done. Anyone could have seen them, and that would have meant they would need to fight. Itachi and Kisame both knew Sakura would not fight her comrades, not that they needed her help…but it would not be good for their relationships.

Itachi stared ahead of him, intrigued with the young girl. She accepted her fate quite quickly; she had made the selfless choice. She had loved his brother and Konoha that much…pity really.

"Welcome to Akatsuki, Sakura." He smirked at her, watching her closely. She said nothing in return.

_I wonder if she will break. _

AN: Ehm…yeah another chapter done! I'm starting to panic a little though. I can feel writers block creeping up behind me!

Thank you to all who reviewed, please keep reviewing! It really helps me. 


	4. The Shattered World of a Lonely Boy

Empty Bliss

**Empty Bliss**

**Summary: **Her hand clenched over her heart, her other arm holding her up, her palm flat on the wooden floor. "What you saw…you do not repeat. If you do, I will kill you." His whisper was deafening to her ears, as if he had shouted. The resounding anger in his voice made her flinch. ItachixSakura

**Warnings: **Bad language, fighting.

**Notes: **What can I say? Enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything!

**--**

_Thoughts in italics_

"Speech"

**--**

**Chapter Four**

_**These Thoughts of Mine**_

_**The Shattered World of a Lonely Boy**_

--

The blond sat next to the sleeping man. His hand held his chin firmly, azure coloured eyes resolutely placed on the unmoving form of the Uchiha. It had been a week since the missing-nin had been brought into Konoha, and he was still unconscious.

As he sat there and thought about it, the Godaime was probably discussing on what to do to the boy with the elders. Naruto himself had begged her to let his best friend off, perhaps now that he was back, he would be back for good.

But she had stubbornly refused, he had betrayed them once, he could surely do it again! Naruto was hoping that Sasuke would get off with supervision 24/7 and perhaps not doing missions for quite a while.

He just hoped he wasn't killed.

What had happened to their team? Perhaps it had been quite dysfunctional, but they still had been happy and…it was nice. It seemed the blond was the only one left whom hadn't left Konoha, of the sort.

He sighed, his dark, thoughtful gaze moving towards the window.

What was he to do? He was alone. Kakashi was on a long term mission, Sakura was gone…and Sasuke was in a coma.

Yeah, he had his other friends and Iruka…but it just wasn't the same anymore.

"When are you gonna wake up, Sasuke…"

Tsunade gave a grim smile as she watched Naruto. He hadn't even _blinked _all morning; he just stared at the body of Sasuke. Naruto had been quite depressed; he had come back with his team a couple of days ago because they had no leads at all.

The hospital was suffering quite badly without Sakura; she was the best medic-nin besides Tsunade herself.

She was proud of her apprentice; she had done better than anyone she had taught before.

She sighed distraughtly. _Come back to us, Sakura. Konoha needs you…_I _need you!_

--

Sakura yawned as she woke up, dragging herself out of her warm bed and into the bathroom where the cold tiles made her shiver. She turned the shower on then stripped off her clothes without locking the door; no one would walk in anyway.

She stood under the warm spray of clean water for 10 minutes, washing her hair and body quite vigorously.

She jumped out and put on some clean clothes.

She sat upright when the door to her bedroom opened. She stared up at Itachi as he walked into her room, uninvited. "Bring your herbs and what not. Someone is injured." He sounded so calm even though she could see quite a lot of blood on his Akatsuki cloak.

She gathered her stuff quickly, following him out of the door. She hated walking down the long, cold halls of the Akatsuki base. She always felt like someone was watching her every move…it gave her the creeps!

Their pace quickened as they turned and walked along the long, menacing halls. Finally, they stopped outside of a door that was slightly ajar; Itachi pushed it open and allowed her to see someone lying on the bed. Already, she could see that he had been badly injured; his Akatsuki cloak and netted black top had been taken off, showing the large wound. The work of a katana wielder, by the looks of it.

Her medic-nin instincts kicked in and she hurried beside the blond haired man. It looked like it was becoming hard for him to breathe, his eyes closing and opening, their glazed look making her worry even more. His lips were slightly parted, chapped. His ragged breathing perhaps could mean that they had punctured his lung/s.

"This may hurt a little at first, but I assure you, it will leave as soon as it comes." She said soothingly, her hands moving to his chest, green chakra flowing out of her petite hands. Her brow creased as she concentrated on feeling the internal damage.

_Right lung damaged, slight disturbance to the heart…he's losing a lot of blood. _

Sakura concentrated more chakra into him, feeling him twitch slightly at the added pain. He was lucky to be alive! She could feel Itachi moving around, until finally he settled on the chair across from them. She felt his eyes on her, but she just kept her concentration, slowly fixing the damage of his lung and heart.

Already she felt some of the tension leave his body, but her work wasn't done yet. She had stopped the blood with her chakra while she had been fixing his lung and heart, but this was a long process she had to make sure the blood flowing through him had not faulted.

An hour had passed, and she was still healing him. But she was nearly done; she was finishing stitching back up his skin.

She was sweating by now, but she hadn't used all of her chakra. As she was a medic-nin and trained under the best medic-nin of all time; she had learnt to conserve chakra and heal a lot of people with sever injuries. What good would she be if she could only heal one person with critical damage on a battle field? Not much!

She stood up, feeling her stiff legs protest a little from the sudden movement. She stretched her body with cat like grace. She saw that the blond haired man that she knew as Deidara, now she looked properly was staring at her. His eyes held no emotion, except for one, Gratitude.

She gave him a soft smile. "You will have to stay in bed for the time being, perhaps a couple of days. The wound will still hurt if you strain it." Her professional voice rang through the room, her only response a little sigh and a nod from him.

"I'll come back in the morning to check on you, with some breakfast, for now sleep. You probably will sleep through the whole day anyway." She started to leave the room, feeling Itachi swiftly follow her. She sighed and carried on walking back to her room.

She got to the bedroom, Itachi still walking behind her. Sakura sat herself on the bed, her bangs covering her eyes. Questions that had always plagued her about Itachi were on her mind. She looked up at the ceiling, a small bitter smile on her lips as she closed her eyes.

Itachi watched her with curiousity, she had suddenly deflated. The normally fiery, passionate woman had turned…indifferent in those minutes. He slightly frowned; he would admit he would like to know what was going through her mind at that moment.

"Why did you do it?"

The question was so sudden; he paused momentarily in getting some scrolls out. One black eyebrow rose, while he finished getting the scrolls out. "Would you like to elaborate on that, Sakura?" His tone was soft, yet it still had an infinite air of danger. Power even rolled off of his tongue!

**(AN: I never normally do these little notes…but "Power even rolled off his tongue…" come on ladies! You can't say you didn't have a dirty thought to that! Hahahaa!)**

"Why did you destroy your whole clan?" She whispered, her eyes opened and her head turned to watch him, her gaze not wavering. Itachi lounged in his chair, musing over her out of the blue question.

"You know why, Sakura." He stared right back at her, emerald clashing with a fierce crimson. Sakura laughed; Itachi didn't like that laugh. It was mocking, not cute or girlish.

"You think I believe that bullshit? "Test my capacity"? Ha! You might have everyone fooled with that but I was taught to look underneath the underneath." She snorted, watching his movement with interest.

Itachi narrowed his eyes; this…_girl _was trying to mock him? "Sakura…you should watch what you say, remember where you are." His tone was flat, his face; unemotional. Sakura's plan wasn't working; she wasn't getting a rise out of the stoic Uchiha.

Sakura was the clever, sensible one of her team…but what she did next, even Naruto would have called her stupid. A voice in the back of her mind told her this, yet she was desperate to know…

Casually, she walked over to Itachi; he stiffened as her arm held onto the back bit of the chair, her lips next to his ear. "I think you are a sick and twisted man. A man with no emotions, you care for no one. You killed your whole family, ripped her bonds viciously at the tender age of thirteen. Yet you spared your little brother…making him live in a shattered world of pain h-" she was cut off, her air supply coming up short as her back was slammed into a wall, Itachi's eyes turned wild.

She choked best she could, his hand tightening around her throat making her eyes water with pain. His sharingan spun on its own violation. "You think you know me so well? Let me show you my world, _Sa-ku-ra." _His voice was deeper, husky with rage. The syllables of her name he made known.

She gasped in pain, forced to look into Itachi's bloody gaze, seeing his soul laid bare in those 5 seconds before she was pulled into the timeless world of mangekyo.

_Sakura looked around herself, she was in the Uchiha district. The world was made of blacks, reds and whites, making her scared and confused. Her feet started to make her walk, until she got to Sasuke's house. There was bodies lying everywhere, blood everywhere. She could not cry, nor mourn for these people in this world. She was only allowed to do what Itachi let her do. _

_She saw a boy; he looked like a younger Itachi! He must have been, he looked at her, or so she thought. Then she heard the younger Sasuke, screaming at his brother, asking why._

_She looked back at Itachi, seeing a clear substance run down his face, was that…a tear!? She would have gasped if she could, but she stood there, watching. Itachi turned his back on Sasuke, and then the scene changed. _

_She saw Itachi again, this time he was sitting in his room on his own. His bangs covered his eyes, but his hands clenched his pants at his knees, knuckles white. She watched him intensely, seeing his head raise, and more tears. _

"_They want me to kill my clan…to kill my family, my mother and father…why?" His whisper was nearly missed by her…but she guessed she was supposed to hear this. _

"_Who?" She asked softly, her legs moving to sit beside him. She guessed Itachi had let her have some control over herself. _

"_Konoha…the elders…they're making me. What did I do to deserve this?!" Suddenly everything turned to blood; his face was all she saw. Twisted in agony, pain and regret. Sakura cried out for the boy, her heart wrenching with pain for this little lost boy. _

Itachi moved away from her fiercely, he was breathing heavily, his eyes calmed down slightly but the rage still ran through his body, making him shudder. Sakura dropped to her knees, her mouth open in a silent scream, tears cascaded down her face, sobs erupting from herself.

She looked up at Itachi, the pain and anguish in her face…the pain she felt for Itachi was excruciating. "Itachi…" She sobbed, sorrow, genuine sorrow in her voice. Itachi growled low, "You wish to mock me now, foolish girl?" He glared intensely at her, sweat beaded at his brow.

Her hand clenched over her heart, her other arm holding her up, her palm flat on the wooden floor. "What you saw…you do not repeat. If you do, I will kill you myself." His whisper was deafening to her ears, as if he had shouted. The resounding anger in his voice made her flinch.

"Why…didn't you tell anybody?" She asked suddenly, voice croaky. She was astonished she was still conscious, but she supposed it was because he had not made her go through pain in his mangekyo; though of course she did have a headache.

All emotion vanished from him, even the anger left. He was once again, just a shell. Itachi walked over to his desk again, slowly sitting down, he focused on the scrolls, ignoring her.

She was about to speak but he interrupted her. "Go to sleep, or I will be forced to make you sleep." His words held a dark promise and no room for buts.

Sakura strangled out a cry, and ran out of the room, intending to go on the roof of the lair. She got to the roof, looking up at the dark sky; stars scatted across it with a full moon. She cried, cried for the younger Itachi, and for the older Itachi. She cried out her pain for the confused, sorrowful little boy.

She cried because…Itachi had severed his bonds…ruined his life, destroyed his emotions; for Konoha. She had been known to be naïve, but she would have never thought Konoha would be so cowardly!

She eventually cried herself to sleep, not seeing the dark figure watching her. Itachi looked down at the kunoichi, picking her up; he returned her to his room and put her on the bed. He did not know why he had shown her that, he was angrier at himself for showing it to her…but she had made him so _angry._ He had not been that angry in a lot of years.

Since the massacre.

This little, soft hearted, naïve kunoichi had made him snap. It stressed him, really. He sighed, moving to the other side of the bed. He was tired, yet he knew he would never have a good sleep. His mind would never let him.

--

Naruto looked up at the dark sky through the hospital window, wondering if maybe…Sakura was looking at the sky, too. He looked back over to the form of his other best friend, Sasuke. The beep of the machine next to him every few seconds and his light breathing was all to be heard in the room.

It must have been around 12pm, yet Naruto was not at home sleeping. He had not had sleep in a couple of days, sticking by Sasuke's side stubbornly. Tsunade had expressed her worry for him, but he refused to go home.

He sat in the chair next to the bed, leaning his head on Sasuke's arm lightly, closing his beautifully bright eyes. Before he knew it he had dozed off, not noticing Sasuke crack one eye open.

A croaky chuckle, "Dobe."

--

Authors Notes: Ahhhh that's it! I don't know what the hell to do now…I am totally out of ideas, HELP! Give me some good ideas for Itachi and Sakura…details! Help me ouuut! Hope you enjoyed, though…hehe


	5. Hiatus: Sorry

I think I will be putting this story on hiatus

I think I will be putting this story on **hiatus. **I am very sorry, but so many ideas for other stories are coming to mind…also, I have done 7 pages of the next chapter but…very stuck lol. I'll try and finish that chapter, at least. I do not know how long that will take though, I'm afraid.

It IS better this way, and then when I do get back to it I will be freshened and probably much better, you see? While this is on hiatus I might do some other stories, perhaps one shots XD but I have a couple of good ideas for FULL on stories. Hehe

Thank you all for reading, though. Try and read the other ones I post ;D

_Paradise_


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